Mandibular protrusion device

Abstract

A mandibular protrusion device which comprises a maxillary dental tray, a mandibular dental tray and at least two lateral links. Each one of the lateral links has a first end removably engageable with the maxillary dental tray and a second end removably engageable with the mandibular dental tray. The maxillary dental tray, mandibular dental tray and the lateral links have complementary male and female members configured to be engageable and disengageable from one another in at least one engagement/disengagement configuration that is not reached when the device is worn or in normal use.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A mandibular protrusion device having a right side and a left side, the mandibular protrusion device comprising:
 a maxillary dental tray having a wall with an outer side, an anterior section, and two spaced-apart posterior sections, the wall defining a U-shaped dentition receiving cavity; 
 a mandibular dental tray having a wall with an outer side, an anterior section, and two spaced-apart posterior sections, the wall defining a U-shaped dentition receiving cavity, the mandibular dental tray further comprising two flanges extending upwardly from a respective one of the posterior sections and outwardly from the outer side of the wall, wherein a lateral link receiving channel is defined between each one of the two flanges and the outer side of the wall of the mandibular dental tray; and 
 two lateral links, each one of the lateral links having an elongated portion with an anterior end removably engageable with the maxillary dental tray, a posterior end opposed to the anterior end, a dental-tray facing face, and a flange-facing face opposed to the dental-tray facing face, the posterior end being removably engageable with a respective one of the flanges of the mandibular dental tray, and located in a respective one of the lateral link receiving channels when engaged with the respective one of the flanges of the mandibular dental tray; 
 two male members provided on each one of the right side and the left side of the mandibular protrusion device and two female members provided on each one of the right side and the left side of the mandibular protrusion device, the female members being complementary in shape to the male members, the female members and the male members being provided on the anterior section of the maxillary dental tray, the flanges of the mandibular dental tray, and the anterior ends and the posterior ends of the two lateral links to detachably engage the two lateral links with the mandibular dental tray and the maxillary dental tray at the posterior ends and the anterior ends; and 
 wherein a first one and a second one of the male members provided on each one of the right side and the left side of the mandibular protrusion device protrude respectively towards and away from the outer side of the walls of the maxillary and mandibular dental trays when the lateral links are engaged therewith; and 
 wherein the complementary male and female members are engageable and disengageable from one another in at least one engagement/disengagement configuration that is reached by pivoting at least one of the maxillary dental tray and the mandibular dental tray with respect to the other one and when the anterior section of the maxillary dental tray is located posteriorly of the flanges of the mandibular dental tray. 
 
     
     
       2. The mandibular protrusion device of  claim 1 , wherein the engagement/disengagement configuration is a single configuration for each one of the two lateral links. 
     
     
       3. The mandibular protrusion device of  claim 2 , wherein the two lateral links comprise a right-side lateral link and a left-side lateral link, and wherein the engagement/disengagement configuration is different for the right-side lateral link and the left-side lateral link and an offset between the engagement/disengagement configurations of the two lateral links is greater than 30°. 
     
     
       4. The mandibular protrusion device of  claim 3 , wherein the complementary male and female members are substantially L-shaped and the engagement/disengagement configuration for the right-side lateral link is reached by rotating one of the maxillary dental tray and the mandibular dental tray to a first angle and the engagement/disengagement configuration for the left-side lateral link is reached by rotating one of the maxillary dental tray and the mandibular dental tray to a second angle different from the first angle. 
     
     
       5. The mandibular protrusion device of  claim 2 , wherein each one of the male members comprises a pivot portion rotatable into a corresponding one of the complementary female members when engaged together and connected to a substantially L-shaped enlarged head. 
     
     
       6. The mandibular protrusion device of  claim 5 , wherein each one of the female members comprises an L-shaped aperture and the L-shaped enlarged head of each one of the male members is defined by two arms intersecting each other at an angle with the pivot portion being connected to the respective enlarged head at the intersection of the two arms, and each one of the enlarged head is insertable into or disengageable from the respective one of the L-shaped apertures solely in the engagement/disengagement configuration wherein the L-shaped enlarged head of the male members is substantially in register with the respective one of the L-shaped apertures. 
     
     
       7. The mandibular protrusion device of  claim 1 , wherein each one of the two lateral links is engageable with the mandibular dental tray by engaging a respective one of the flanges of the mandibular dental tray from an inner side towards an outer side thereof and wherein each one of the two lateral links is engageable with the maxillary dental tray by engaging the maxillary dental tray from the outer side towards an inner side of the wall. 
     
     
       8. The mandibular protrusion device of  claim 1 , wherein the elongated portions of the two lateral links have a curvature defined therein and each one of the two lateral links is thicker along sections of the elongated portion and towards the anterior end and the posterior end. 
     
     
       9. The mandibular protrusion device of  claim 1 , wherein the elongated portions of the two lateral links have a curvature defined therein and each one of the two lateral links is narrower in a central section of the elongated portion than close to the anterior end and the posterior end. 
     
     
       10. The mandibular protrusion device of  claim 1 , wherein the two lateral links are engaged with a respective one of the flanges of the mandibular dental tray above a contact plan defined between posterior sections of the maxillary dental tray and the mandibular dental tray and above an upper section of the wall of the mandibular dental tray. 
     
     
       11. The mandibular protrusion device of  claim 1 , wherein an anterior one of the male members protrude from the dental-tray facing face of the elongated portion of the two lateral links at the anterior end and a posterior one of the male members protrude from the flange-facing face of the elongated portion of the two lateral links at the posterior end and wherein the elongated portion of the two lateral links is protrusion free on the flange-facing face at the anterior end and is protrusion free on the dental-tray facing face at the posterior end. 
     
     
       12. The mandibular protrusion device of  claim 1 , wherein the male members protruding from or engageable with a respective one the lateral links protrude in opposed directions with respect to the dental-tray facing face and the flange-facing face of the respective one of the lateral links. 
     
     
       13. An intraoral orthosis having a right side and a left side, the intraoral orthosis comprising:
 a maxillary dental tray having a wall with an outer side, an anterior section, a left-side posterior section and a right-side posterior section, the wall defining a U-shaped dentition receiving cavity; 
 a mandibular dental tray having a wall with an outer side, an anterior section, a left-side posterior section and a right-side posterior section, the wall defining a U-shaped dentition receiving cavity, the mandibular dental tray further comprising two flanges extending upwardly from a respective one of the posterior sections and outwardly from the outer side of the wall, wherein a lateral link receiving channel is defined between each one of the two flanges and the outer side of the wall of the mandibular dental tray; and 
 two lateral links, each one of the lateral links having an elongated portion with an anterior end removably engageable with the maxillary dental tray, a posterior end opposed to the anterior end, a dental-tray facing face and a flange-facing face opposed to the dental-tray facing face, the posterior end being removably engageable with a respective one of the flanges of the mandibular dental tray, and located in a respective one of the lateral link receiving channels when engaged with the respective one of the flanges of the mandibular dental tray; 
 wherein each one of the anterior section of the maxillary dental tray, the flanges of the mandibular dental tray, and the anterior ends and the posterior ends of the two lateral links comprises at least one of male members and female members to detachably engage the two lateral links with the mandibular dental tray and the maxillary dental tray at the posterior ends and the anterior ends, wherein the male members and the females members are complementary in shape and the male members protruding from or engageable with a respective one of the lateral links protrude in opposed directions with respect to the dental-tray facing face and the flange-facing face of the respective one of the lateral links; and wherein the complementary male and female members are engageable and disengageable from one another in at least one engagement/disengagement configuration that is not reached when the device is worn or in normal use, the at least one engagement/disengagement configuration being reached by rotating one of the maxillary dental tray and the mandibular dental tray in a configuration where the maxillary dental tray is located posteriorly of the flanges of the mandibular dental tray. 
 
     
     
       14. The intraoral orthosis of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one engagement/disengagement configuration is a single configuration for each one of the two lateral links. 
     
     
       15. The intraoral orthosis of  claim 14 , wherein the two lateral links comprise a right-side lateral link and a left-side lateral link, and wherein the engagement/disengagement configuration is different for the right-side lateral link and the left-side lateral link and an offset between the engagement/disengagement configurations of the two lateral links is greater than 30°. 
     
     
       16. The intraoral orthosis of  claim 15 , wherein the engagement/disengagement configuration for the right-side lateral link is reached by rotating one of the maxillary dental tray and the mandibular dental tray to a first angle and the engagement/disengagement configuration for the left-side lateral link is reached by rotating one of the maxillary dental tray and the mandibular dental tray to a second angle different from the first angle. 
     
     
       17. The intraoral orthosis of  claim 13 , wherein each one of the male members comprises a pivot portion rotatable into a corresponding one of the complementary female members when engaged together and connected to a substantially L-shaped enlarged head defined by two arms intersecting each other at an angle with the pivot portion being connected to the respective enlarged head at the intersection of the two arms; and each one of the female members comprises an L-shaped aperture; and wherein each one of the enlarged head is insertable into or disengageable from the respective one of the L-shaped apertures solely in the engagement/disengagement configuration wherein the L-shaped enlarged head is substantially in register with the respective one of the L-shaped apertures. 
     
     
       18. The intraoral orthosis of  claim 13 , wherein each one of the two lateral links is engageable with the mandibular dental tray by engaging a respective one of the flanges of the mandibular dental tray from an inner side towards an outer side thereof and wherein each one of the two lateral links is engageable with the maxillary dental tray by engaging the maxillary dental tray from the outer side towards an inner side of the wall. 
     
     
       19. The intraoral orthosis of  claim 13 , wherein the elongated portions of the two lateral links have a curvature defined therein and each one of the two lateral links is thicker along sections of the elongated portion and towards the anterior end and the posterior end. 
     
     
       20. The intraoral orthosis of  claim 13 , wherein the elongated portions of the two lateral links have a curvature defined therein and each one of the two lateral links is narrower in a central section of the elongated portion than close to the anterior end and the posterior end. 
     
     
       21. The intraoral orthosis of  claim 13 , wherein the two lateral links are engaged with a respective one of the flanges of the mandibular dental tray at least one of: above a contact plan between posterior sections of the maxillary dental tray and the mandibular dental tray and above an upper section of the wall of the mandibular dental tray. 
     
     
       22. The intraoral orthosis of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one engagement/disengagement configuration is reached when the anterior section of the maxillary dental tray is located rearwardly of the posterior sections of the mandibular dental tray. 
     
     
       23. The intraoral orthosis of  claim 13 , wherein an anterior one of the male members protrude from the dental-tray facing face of the elongated portion of the two lateral links at the anterior end and a posterior one of the male members protrude from the flange-facing face of the elongated portion of the two lateral links at the posterior end and wherein the elongated portion of the two lateral links is protrusion free on the flange-facing face at the anterior end and is protrusion free on the dental-tray facing face at the posterior end. 
     
     
       24. The intraoral orthosis of  claim 13 , wherein a first one and a second one of the male members provided on each one of the right side and the left side of the mandibular protrusion device protrude respectively towards and away from the outer side of the walls of the maxillary and mandibular dental trays when the lateral links are engaged therewith.